Leyline of Vitality is one of those cards players keep asking about. Here is, in plain words, what its official text says, the rulings published by Wizards of the Coast, and the combos players actually run.
Official card text
If this card is in your opening hand, you may begin the game with it on the battlefield. Creatures you control get +0/+1. Whenever a creature you control enters, you may gain 1 life.
Complete guide
Leyline of Vitality is a powerful green enchantment that rewards you for playing creatures while making your army harder to kill. Like all Leylines, it offers a massive advantage if it appears in your opening hand by letting you start the game with it already in play. This card is a staple for deck strategies that rely on high creature counts and life gain synergies.
What It Does
Leyline of Vitality provides three distinct benefits. First, it has a pre-game effect that allows you to put it onto the battlefield for free if it is in your opening hand. Second, it grants a static +0/+1 toughness boost to every creature you control. Third, it features a triggered ability that lets you gain 1 life whenever a creature enters the battlefield under your control.
How It Resolves Step by Step
The pre-game process happens after all mulligans are complete; if you have this in your final hand, you simply place it on the battlefield before the first turn begins. During the game, whenever a creature enters under your control, the life gain ability triggers and goes on the stack. Because this ability says 'you may,' you choose whether or not to gain the life when the ability resolves. If multiple creatures enter at the same time, the ability triggers once for each creature.
Common Mistakes
A common mistake involves the timing of the pre-game action. You cannot use the free entry effect if you draw the Leyline during your first turn; it must be in your hand after mulligans are finished but before the game officially starts. Additionally, remember that the +0/+1 is a static bonus, not a counter, so it cannot be doubled by effects that increase counters.
When to Play It
This card is best utilized in 'Stompy' or 'Token' decks where you plan to flood the board with creatures. The extra toughness helps your creatures survive combat and toughness-based removal like board wipes that deal damage. It is also an excellent tool against aggressive decks, as the repeated life gain can quickly put the game out of their reach.
Interaction examples
Garruk's UprisingWith Leyline of Vitality on the battlefield, your creatures gain +0/+1. If you then play Garruk's Uprising, your creatures will also gain trample. If a creature with power 4 or greater enters, Garruk's Uprising triggers to draw you a card while Leyline of Vitality triggers to gain you 1 life, providing both card advantage and health.
Doubling SeasonIf you control both Leyline of Vitality and Doubling Season, any effect that creates a creature token will create twice as many. Leyline of Vitality will trigger for every single token that enters. For example, if an effect creates two 1/1 tokens, Doubling Season creates four tokens instead, and you may gain 1 life four times, for a total of 4 life.
Guide written with AI from the official text and rulings. Official English text prevails.
How it works : Leyline of Vitality
Original English text — Wizards of the Coast / Scryfall
- #1· Wizards of the Coast
A player's "opening hand" is the hand of cards the player has after all players have taken mulligans. If players have any cards in hand that allow actions to be taken with them from a player's opening hand, the starting player takes all such actions first in any order, followed by each other player in turn order. Then the first turn begins.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #2· Wizards of the Coast
If Leyline of Vitality and a creature enter under your control at the same time, Leyline of Vitality's third ability will trigger.
No other card is named in this ruling.
Popular combos
Real combos played by the community, sorted by popularity.
Treebeard, Gracious Host + Scurry Oak + Leyline of Vitality
- 1Gain life.
- 2Treebeard's second ability triggers, putting that many +1/+1 counters on Scurry Oak.
- 3Scurry Oak triggers, creating a 1/1 Squirrel creature token.
- 4When the Squirrel enters the battlefield, Leyline of Vitality triggers, causing you to gain life.
- 5Repeat from step 2.
Warren Soultrader + Chatterfang, Squirrel General + Leyline of Vitality
- 1Activate Warren Soultrader by paying 1 life and sacrificing another creature, creating a Treasure token and a 1/1 Squirrel creature token.
- 2When the Squirrel enters the battlefield, Leyline of Vitality triggers, causing you to gain 1 life.
- 3Repeat.
Trudge Garden + Ashnod's Altar + Leyline of Vitality
- 1Gain any amount of life.
- 2Trudge Garden triggers, causing you to pay
to create a 4/4 Fungus Beast creature token. - 3When the Fungus Beast enters the battlefield, Leyline of Vitality triggers.
- 4Holding priority, activate Ashnod's Altar by sacrificing the Fungus Beast, adding
. - 5Resolve the Leyline of Vitality trigger, causing you to gain life.
- 6Repeat from step 2.
Cleric Class + Leyline of Vitality + Scurry Oak
- 1Gain life.
- 2Cleric Class triggers, putting a +1/+1 counter on Scurry Oak.
- 3Scurry Oak triggers, creating a creature token.
- 4When the creature token enters the battlefield, Leyline of Vitality triggers, causing you to gain 2 life.
- 5Repeat from step 2.
Basking Broodscale + Valentin, Dean of the Vein // Lisette, Dean of the Root + Leyline of Vitality
- 1Cast Basking Broodscale by paying
. - 2When Basking Broodscale enters the battlefield, Leyline of Vitality triggers, causing you to gain 1 life.
- 3Lisette triggers, causing you to pay to put a +1/+1 counter on each creature you control.
- 4Basking Broodscale triggers, creating a 0/1 Eldrazi Spawn creature token.
- 5When the Eldrazi Spawn enters the battlefield, Leyline of Vitality triggers.
- 6Holding priority, activate the Eldrazi Spawn by sacrificing it, adding .
- 7Resolve the Leyline of Vitality trigger, causing you to gain 1 life.
- 8Repeat from step 3.
Heliod, Sun-Crowned + Leyline of Vitality + Scurry Oak
- 1Gain life.
- 2Heliod triggers, putting a +1/+1 counter on Scurry Oak.
- 3Scurry Oak triggers, creating a creature token.
- 4When the creature token enters the battlefield, Leyline of Vitality triggers, causing you to gain 1 life.
- 5Repeat from step 2.
Kwia Vigorbloom + Leyline of Vitality + Emiel the Blessed
- 1Activate Emiel the Blessed by paying
, blinking Kwia. - 2When Kwia enters, Leyline of Vitality triggers, causing you to gain 1 life.
- 3Kwia triggers, creating a Lotus token.
- 4Activate the Lotus by tapping and sacrificing it, adding .
- 5Repeat.
Archangel of Thune + Leyline of Vitality + Scurry Oak
- 1Gain life.
- 2Archangel of Thune triggers, putting a +1/+1 counter on each creature you control.
- 3Scurry Oak triggers, creating a creature token.
- 4When the creature token enters the battlefield, Leyline of Vitality triggers, causing you to gain 1 life.
- 5Repeat from step 2.
Legal formats
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Meta decks with Leyline of Vitality
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